SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Applied Intuition is seeking a Hardware Systems Lead for its drone program. You will be the hands-on chief engineer responsible for the complete hardware architecture—mechanical and electrical—that carries autonomy into the air. This role requires deep ownership of aircraft survivability across vibration, shock, thermal extremes, moisture, and EMI, working closely with autonomy, software, and flight test teams.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own end-to-end hardware architecture (mechanical and electrical) for drone platforms
- Prototype, build, integrate, debug, and test hardware on real aircraft
- Define survivability requirements for sensors, compute, avionics, harnesses, connectors, and enclosures
- Lead integration of sensors (cameras, lidar, radar, GNSS/IMU), compute, power systems, communications, and flight controllers
- Manage size, weight, and power (SWaP) tradeoffs across performance, flight time, payload, and cost
- Define hardware requirements and reference architectures that scale across aircraft configurations
- Plan and execute environmental, durability, and flight testing; analyze failures and drive root-cause fixes
- Serve as technical authority for hardware tradeoffs across mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, and autonomy teams
- Lead hardware design reviews, set engineering standards, and mentor engineers
- Support flight test campaigns, demonstrations, and field operations
Applied Intuition is a $15 billion Series A company (founded 2017) powering physical AI for autonomous systems. The company serves automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture sectors, with 18 of the top 20 global automakers and the U.S. military as customers. Headquarters in Sunnyvale with global offices.
The company operates primarily in-office (5 days/week), with flexibility for occasional remote work and schedule adjustments.
Requirements:
- BS/MS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or related field
- 10+ years hands-on hardware engineering experience on drones, UAS, or aircraft
- Strong command of complete hardware systems: airframe/structures, electrical architecture, power distribution, harness design, avionics, and their interactions
- Proven track record designing hardware for demanding environments with real experience in vibration, shock, ingress protection, thermal management, and EMI/EMC
- Hands-on lab and field experience: prototyping, wiring, debugging, flight testing, and failure diagnosis
- Experience integrating sensors (cameras, lidar, radar, GNSS/IMU), compute, and flight control hardware onto airborne platforms
- SWaP optimization and lightweight design experience, including composites and carbon fiber
- Reliability and qualification testing experience (environmental testing, HALT, flight-hour tracking)
- Systems-level thinking and ability to make and defend architecture decisions
- Design for manufacturability and field serviceability experience
Nice to Have:
- Fixed-wing, multirotor, or VTOL platform experience
- Familiarity with aerospace standards (DO-160, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461)
- Propulsion, battery, or power system integration experience
